RTC TrailBlog

Last week, RTC hosted The Secrets to Gardens on Urban Pathways, a webinar that offered tips and advice on how to start and maintain community gardens along trails in urban areas. Presenter Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl of Johns Hopkins University's Center for a Livable Future was joined by Urban Tilth executive director Doria Robinson and Park Guthrie of Wildcat Farms. With trail garden experience in Richmond, Calif., and Washington, D.C., the panel offered their expertise and took questions from the audience. The webinar, embedded above, is available for replay. We also have a trail garden page in our Trail Building Toolbox available for use.

While Indianapolis may not have the bike-friendly reputation of a city like Portland, Ore., this Midwestern capital has some groundbreaking initiatives under way that both support and expand the city's trail network.

The most high-profile of these projects is the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Looping around downtown, the Cultural Trail is a combination sidewalk and cycle track, providing a safe and easily identifiable route for cyclists and pedestrians to move around the heart of the city. These types of "street grid greenway" projects are on the rise; in Detroit, for example, construction has begun on the Midtown Loop Greenway, which also aims to connect destinations within a neighborhood. In addition to its role as a route around downtown, the Cultural Trail will act as a hub for the central Indiana greenway network by including a direct connection to, among other trails, the Monon Trail to the northern suburbs of Carmel and Westfield.

While the Monon Trail has a sterling reputation among rail-trails, its southernmost section, spanning the three miles between the Cultural Trail and the Indiana State Fairgrounds, has not had the type of extensive usage seen farther north on the trail. Residents of the lower-income neighborhoods adjacent to this section of trail use it, yet many area residents incorrectly perceive this section of the trail to be dangerous. As IndyParks greenways manager Al Ensley tells us, while vandalism has been an issue, crime reports show that this part of the trail is no more dangerous than other areas. To promote trail usage through these neighborhoods, Ensley has been working to minimize opportunities for vandalism and support trail amenities that encourage usership. The video embedded above provides more details about how the city has been working to get more people out on the Monon Trail.

Another exciting undertaking in Indianapolis is the Smart Growth Redevelopment District, which is planning sustainable development in the neighborhoods around the southern end of the Monon Trail. Selected as one of five Sustainable Communities Pilot Projects  by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the district offers an opportunity for a community-based approach to brownfield redevelopment. Part of the district's plans include converting a spur off the Monon Trail into a rail-trail, connecting the district with Brookside Park and Pogue's Run Trail via a five-mile loop system. Kaid Benfield of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a member of a national team convened by the American Institute of Architects to provide support and guidance to the project; he offers a glimpse into the project on the NRDC Switchboard blog (parts one, two and three).

By combining new trail amenities, connections to downtown and the regional greenway network, and trail-oriented redevelopment of brownfield sites, Indianapolis is mixing all the right ingredients for a successful urban pathway.

Note: The embedded video has been slightly edited from the one originally posted.

RECEIVE RAILROAD ABANDONMENT NOTICES FOR YOUR STATE VIA E-MAIL

On or about August 16, 2010, CSX Transportation, Inc. filed for the abandonment of 2.95 miles of track in Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

NEXT STEPS: If this corridor is suitable for trail use, we strongly urge local trail advocates, or an appropriate local, regional or state agency or organization, to take action now. A "boiler plate" letter (found here) can be filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the abandoning railroad using STB docket number AB-55 (sub-no. 704x). Filing this letter does not commit its authors to acquire the corridor; it merely gives time to develop a rail-trail proposal and undertake negotiations with the railroad. According to the information we have received, the deadline for filing this letter is September 15, 2010. Even if this deadline is missed, there is probably still time to contact the relevant parties, since the railroad may have experienced a delay in filing all of the paperwork, or the STB may still have jurisdiction over the corridor. However, it is important to take prompt action. The STB posts all abandonment decisions and filings on its Web site, including the complete filing for this corridor. More information on the rail corridor, including a map, can be found in this filing.

The STB has imposed a $200 filing fee for all railbanking requests. Entities filing a railbanking request may request a fee waiver or reduction, and government agencies will receive an automatic fee waiver. Throughout the process, make sure local government officials and citizen activists are kept informed of the project's progress. We also recommend contacting your state trails coordinator or your state bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.

Both of these individuals are knowledgeable about state laws and resources and may be able to assist your community with this rail-trail project. Also, you may want to contact the abandoning railroad to add your name to their service list.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE: RTC's Web site may provide valuable tools as you plan for a rail-trail, including how-to manuals, the Trail-Building Toolbox, our Publications Library and the Trails & Greenways Listserv for trail advocates and professionals. These resources can be found within the "Trail-Building" section of our Web site. If you take advantage of this information and other resources promptly, you will be well on your way to creating a successful rail-trail in your community. For more information, or if you decide to pursue railbanking, please contact the National Office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

By Ethan Ellestad

As a teenager, it is often hard enough to get your voice heard, let alone be taken seriously. Yet, on a hot day in late June, more than 30 young people from the Louisiana Green Corps set out on a tour of the Lafitte Greenway to prove that their opinions and ideas were just as valid as anyone’s twice their age.

Every summer, the Louisiana Green Corps, a non-profit dedicated to providing green job skills training to unemployed, underemployed or otherwise disadvantaged New Orleans youth, host an intensive six week summer program for 14 and 15 year old students.

As a part of this program, members of the Green Corps set their sights on creating a more youth-friendly Lafitte Greenway. On a sun-drenched June day, the group began with some basic maintenance, picking up bits of trash and cutting back the most overgrown areas.

Soon, however, they moved into the bulk of the day’s work. Walking down a stretch of the Greenway, the students took note of the existing assets and imagined the possibilities. One noted that a pair of abandoned tennis courts could be turned into basketball courts. Another suggested that a well-placed snoball stand would be a great way for residents to beat the summer heat. Many of the young people, pointing out the lack of infrastructure along the way, thought several rest stops would provide both shade and a place for people to gather along the path.

Throughout the day, a common refrain was the lack of recreational activities youth currently have in the city. It was agreed that the Greenway, if designed with the needs of young people in mind, could help fill that gap. After a day visiting the actual site of the Greenway, the participating youth then spent the following few days in the classroom, discussing how, if given the chance, they would design the space. Conversations jumped from topic to topic, including such issues as public safety, environmental sustainability, and, of course, recreation. On the final day of the exercise, groups of students presented their ideas, two of which—Lafitte Going Green and Lafitte Corridor Rest Stop—are available online.

Many thanks are due to the Louisiana Green Corps for helping facilitate this effort, and also all the youth who participated. It remains important that young people have their voices heard in the design process, as they are the ones who can best articulate their own needs. If you have a youth group that may want to participate in similar efforts, please e-mail Lafitte Greenway Community Outreach Coordinator Ethan Ellestad at lafittegreenway@gmail.com.

This post is a modified version of theoriginal, posted at the website of RTC partner Friends of Lafitte Corridor. Photo by Gregory Aycock/Louisiana Green Corps.

The Secrets to Gardens on Urban Pathways
Hosted by RTC's Urban Pathways Initiative
Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 2 p.m. EST

Gardens along trails are great community resources that can not only build a connection to local food and natural systems, but also improve community interaction, break down generational barriers and add a sense of livability to urban areas. Maintaining a community or school garden along a trail requires space, money, expertise, dedication and relationships. Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl of Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future, Urban Tilth executive director Doria Robinson and Park Guthrie of Wildcat Farms have led projects along rail-trails in Richmond, Calif., and Washington, D.C. They will present and take questions on how to foster, start and maintain community gardens along trails in urban areas.

Read biographies of webinar presenters .

Photo by M.V. Jantzen/Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

The challenges of safely navigating Los Angeles by bike are particularly difficult for new immigrants who depend on biking to and from work yet are not connected to the larger bicycling community. Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) is reaching out to these cyclists through their City of Lights program, which aims to help them ride safely and keep their equipment in good repair, as well as develop their potential to become local advocates for better bicycle facilities and education in their communities. 

Formed in late 2008, the program works at the IDEPSCA and CARECEN day labor centers to give free bike maintenance and safety workshops in Spanish. Cyclists have also received free lights, maps, safety vests and patch kits.

These cyclists depend on their bikes to get to the labor center. Many participants attend the BiciDigna bike repair workshop every week, or they attend attend the City of Lights Volunteer Retreat. Building these safety programs helps the participants form relationships that bring them into the greater cycling community, where they are also recognized for the healthy and sustainable transportation they are using.

LACBC is hosting City of Lights' first annual awards dinner and fundraiser for the program on Thursday, August 12, to sustain and extend the program to additional day labor centers. Tickets to the dinner are still available.

In addition to a website and blog featuring video clips of the training workshops, the program has developed resource materials for download, such as a community bike parking guide in English and Spanish, and an illustrated Spanish language cycling guide. If there are immigrant cyclists in your city, consider reaching out to day labor centers, other worksites or affordable housing complexes to build some powerful alliances with the cyclists who ride there.

In the Washington, D.C., area, WTOP radio is known as the station with updates on Beltway traffic every 10 minutes. But reporter Kate Ryan switched her minivan for a bicycle and has been taking listeners along for the ride. From ladies nights at local bike shops to free bike clinics, Ryan has been covering the local bike scene for a mainstream audience. As part of her coverage, she's paid significant attention to trails. Recently, she took a spin with Officer Donald Brew, who patrols the Capital Crescent Trail for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.

Brew discusses the training that a bike-mounted police officer must go through, including instruction on riding down stairs and handling a gun while on a bicycle. He also notes that proper trail etiquette is a major issue on a busy trail like the Capital Crescent. Dogs on long leashes and children wandering around the trail can create hazards for other trail users, and higher-speed trail users must give an audible warning before passing a slower trail user. 

"Brew says the key to keeping the trail safe for the cyclists, the joggers and the dog walkers isn’t enforcement," Ryan writes. "It’s courtesy."

By Angelina Horn, City Parks Alliance

The glut of commercial space in U.S. cities threatens to pull down cash-strapped banks and stall the nation’s economic recovery. At the same time, urban parks can have a catalytic effect that improves the economy, environment and health of a city. Red Fields to Green Fields is an initiative that seeks to acquire vacant or financially distressed commercial properties for conversion into urban parks. In addition, adjacent land is "banked" for future sustainable development. The initiative hopes to capitalize on a historic opportunity to revitalize America’s urban core and create livable, walkable communities.

A White House urban policy adviser endorsed the Red Fields to Green Fields concept as a “perfect match” for the administration’s approach to cities and pledged to work with the project’s leaders to convene a meeting with administration officials. Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs on the Domestic Policy Council, says the White House had identified three goals for its urban policy: economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social inclusion.

“If you take these three broad policy goals and you overlay them on Red Fields to Green Fields, it’s a perfect match,” Douglas told city and parks officials gathered in Washington, D.C., on June 16 for a conference on the concept. The multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional approach, he said, “is at the core of our urban policy work.”

The conference included representatives from communities involved in both phases of the national research project: Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Miami, Philadelphia, Wilmington (Del.), Detroit, Hilton Head/Savannah, Houston, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Altogether, the plans on a national scale would create 30,000 acres of new green space and more than 300,000 new jobs over six years.

Catherine Nagel of City Parks Alliance, speaking at the conference, says support from Washington is critical to the transformational initiative. She argued for a multi-billion dollar federal investment and creation of a land bank with zero-percent interest on loans. “This is both a real estate problem and a banking problem,” she said.

Photo by City Parks Alliance. L to R: Gwendolene Angelet (Nemours), Catherine Nagel (CPA), Tad Leithead (Atlanta Regional Commission), Derek Douglas (WH Domestic Policy Council), Mickey Fearn (National Park Service), Will Henry (Nemours), and Jennifer Leonard (Center for Community Progress).